Lead Me On
by boonadducious
Summary: This is my first Smallville fiction. It's about Clark finding out about a girl who can tell him more about his secret, but unfortunatly he gets more than he bargined for. Please RR.
1. One day at college

It was pretty cold outside so it seemed like half of the student body was in the Metropolis University Coffee Shop getting hot chocolate or coffee. Clark Kent was one of these students, even though he wasn't getting the chocolate because he was cold. It was just another little thing he did around the college to disguise his secret, make it look like he was cold. His invulnerability acted as a winter coat of sorts for him, which made it all the more annoying that he had to wear a regular winter coat that made him sweat so that no one would suspect anything. He knew, though, that it was in the spirit of keeping his secret in an environment full of professors that would study him in a second if they knew he was an alien. He was actually very excited that day because it was his second to last day of classes before he went back to Smallville for Christmas break. Despite this, something was bothering him, and he didn't feel like it would go away anytime soon.

It was right when he was starting to gather his thoughts at the small table in the middle of the shop that someone covered his eyes from behind him.

"Hey Chloe," Clark said with a smile on his face.

"How DID you know," Chloe said sarcastically as she swung around and took a seat at the table Clark was sitting at.

"A guess," Clark laughed. Clark had noticed that ever since Chloe had come to Met. U she was much more cheerful than she had been in Smallville. He guessed that it was the appeal of the big city that made her different. He was just happy that her wit hadn't changed.

"So Chloe, now that your dad's moved to Metropolis, are you gonna stay here for Christmas?"

"Yeah," Chloe said, a little confused. "Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know," Clark said. "Just wondering if you would like to go back to Smallville for a few days, you know just for nostalgia."

"Clark, it takes you like a millisecond for you to go to Smallville, but for me it's a three hour drive. I don't want to go there for no reason."

"Not even to investigate the caves with me?"

Chloe was a little taken aback by Clark's statement. Ever since she found out Clark's secret, she was very curious about everything Clark, but he had never asked her for help like this. "I thought you said that Swann, Crosby, and Jor-el had told you enough about your origins to satisfy you. When I pushed it, you said that you were scared about finding out other unpleasant things."

Clark began to speak in a whisper, even though the commotion in the room was enough for him to speak regular to his friend. "Well…I changed my mind. I still don't know exactly what happened to Krypton. I don't know why Kryptonite can hurt me. I don't know what the sun has to do with my powers."

"Clark, what's the sudden interest in needing to know the minutest detail about yourself."

Clark hung his head a little and said. "It's just a curiosity."

By now Chloe could tell that Clark was being less than truthful. "I'm sure you have had this curiosity for a while Clark, I just want to know why all of a sudden you want to go back to the caves even after all that you said happened with Jor-el. And I'm also curious why you want me to go to. So I'm gonna ask you again. Why the sudden interest?"

After a brief silence, Clark opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a huge scream over by the coffee counter. Everyone in the shop turned to look at the kid in all black on the floor attempting to back away from something that was apparently scaring the living daylights out of him. Clark stood up to take a look and noticed that he was backing away from some girl sitting at the counter. He couldn't see her face, but he noticed that she was wearing a black business suit and she had her blonde hair in a bun. Clark then saw her stand up and go toward the boy right before some bulky jocks got in his line of vision. He could tell she was saying something to the kid, but several conversations around him drowned it out.

"What's going on Clark?" Chloe asked.

"I don't know, but I'm gonna find out." He then focused his super-hearing on the girl and the Goth kid.

"Why won't you let me help you?" the girl said.

"Stop harassing me!" the kid shouted.

"Mark, you were the one who came up to me and told me that you were stronger than I was. You and your brood think you can defeat me and mine, but you can't." The statement, along with everything else she said, came out in such a soothing way, that Clark couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Stop pretending to want to help me!"

"I do want to help you. This isn't you talking, Mark. I can help you come back."

"NOOOOO!" Mark's scream blew Clark's ear a little bit and made him step back. When he got composure he saw Mark running out the door into the cold.

"What did you hear?" Chloe asked.

"There's something about that girl," Clark said as he sat back down.

"I figured that," Chloe said.

When the people began to filter away from the group that formed in front of him, Clark could finally see the girl clearly. She had sat back down in her chair and was talking to a few guys with ulterior motives asking if she was ok. When they finally left her alone, she looked very pained, as if she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. Clark knew how she felt. For some reason Clark just kept looking at her as she was on the brink of tears. She then looked up, and then turned and looked right at him. Clark was a little embarrassed wanted to turn away, but he just kept looking at her. She looked at him too, in an analytical sort of way. She squinted her eyes and then mouthed something that Clark couldn't make out. Clark had a feeling she was trying to communicate with him silently, so he raised his eyebrows as if to say "what?". She got the message and mouthed it much clearer.

"Kal-el"

Clark tried to convince himself that it could be a lot of different things she was mouthing, but he couldn't think of a word that could be mouthed like his Kryptonian name. This made him visibly nervous. Clark then saw her act like she just realized something as she tucked her small wooden necklace she had on into her shirt.

"Hey Smallville," Clark snapped out of his trance, turned around and saw Chloe's cousin Lois Lane standing right behind where Chloe was sitting. "What is so interesting about that girl that you're hypnotized by?"

"Yeah Clark, what?" Chloe said, thankfully not in a jealous way.

"Nothing," Clark said rubbing his eyes trying to calm down.

"Well, Smallville, that girl's way out of your league so don't go thinking the 'Kent charm' will impress her."

"Why," Chloe asked. "Is she an old friend of yours?"

"I wish," Lois replied. She then looked at the both of them a little surprised. "You honestly don't know who that is? I expected this from Clark but not you Chloe."

Clark wanted to think of a snide remark, but something inside him prompted him to keep his mouth shut. He just sighed and surrendered.

"Remember Dr. Virgil Swann?"

Clark immediately perked up at the sound of that name.

"That's his niece Ebony," Lois continued. "She was like all over the papers in New York last year because she inherited like half of her uncle's fortune after he died. No one had ever heard of her before that, so everyone was a little shocked. Apparently she's child prodigy and is going to Harvard even though she's only 15. I honestly don't know why she's here at good ol' Met U."

"Oh yeah," Chloe said. "I knew who she was, I just didn't know what she looked like." Chloe then looked over at Clark to see his reaction and saw him a little wide-eyed.

"Hey, Smallville, are you okay?"

Clark quickly got up and turned around to see if Ebony was still there, but she was gone.

"Farmboy!" Lois persisted. "What's up with the mime game?"

Clark gulped and grabbed his backpack. "I have to find her." He then pushed through the crowd and jogged out the door of the shop.

"Clark wait! How do you know she knows anything! Clark!" Chloe shouted as she hurriedly grabbed her stuff and ran after him.

Lois was left alone speechless and confused as she plopped down into Chloe's seat and began to finish Clark's hot chocolate.


	2. Beginning the search

"It's been two days and we've looked everywhere, Clark," Chloe said. "She must have bolted."

Clark set his empty suitcase down on the bed of his dorm room and began to pack his cloths for his trip home while talking to his friend.

"I'm going to keep looking Chloe." He said.

"What makes you think that she knows anything about you?" Chloe asked.

"She's a Swann isn't she? With Crosby and her uncle gone, I think she's my only link to Krypton. Plus, you saw what happened in the coffee shop. There is something about her."

"Something that might not have anything to do with Krypton. Think of it Clark. If this conversation with that Mark kid actually happened as you said it did, then there might be some kind of "war of the cults" going on in this university, and with one of the richest people in the world at the pinnacle."

"And wouldn't that be a dainty story for the Met U. paper," Clark said sarcastically.

"Please don't do this to me, Clark," Chloe said. "I'm doing this for you. She knows who you are apparently. This makes her either dangerous to you or in danger."

"She's not dangerous to me. I know it."

"How do you know? He name is Ebony for crying out loud! She's quite into black and she has a way of controlling Goths. Not to mention she has a pretty hefty bank account thanks to her uncle, who has trust issues of his own in my opinion. She has questionable written all over her. I just don't want you to get hurt."

"And you figured this after getting one look at her and reading maybe a short article." Clark said as he clicked his full suitcase closed, "Anyway, Lex has a hefty bank account and he's ok. Plus, someone's name or how they dress has nothing to do with them as a person. Your last name's Sullivan. Do I say you should be a talk show host like Ed Sullivan just because of your last name."

Chloe gave Clark a surprised look and said, "If that's your idea of a quip then I think you need to stick with your regular language."

Clark, clearly frustrated, picked up his bulging suitcase and held it to his chest. "Maybe you're right, Chloe, but I can't give up on this. It's been three years since I first met Dr. Swann and my destiny is no more clearer to me now than then. Sure I want to help people, but what else will there be for me. Jor-el and Joseph have really been the only people who have shown me destinies I can see myself in, and neither is the one my heart tells me to follow."

Chloe sighed and put her hand on her friend's shoulder. "I understand you wondering what you're supposed to do with your life, but what makes you think she knows more than her uncle. Besides, you don't need a 15-year-old super genius to tell you what your destiny is. No one knows what their destiny is 'till they're living it. It's your decision what you do with your life."

Clark laughed, "You know you're starting to sound like my father."

Chloe smiled and said "You know that the most repeated platitudes are the ones you need to know the most."

Clark gave Chloe a hug with his available arm. "You never cease to surprise me Chlo'."

Chloe smiled again and said, "Go home and enjoy Christmas with your family Clark. Don't worry about Ebony Swann. I'll look into her and let you know what I find out, but for now just let it go."

Clark gave a small nod and said his good byes to his friend as he sped out of the dorm room to go home.

Clark was running along the empty country roads of Kansas trying to take Chloe's advice and get Ebony Swann out of his mind, but it proved to be an impossible feat. He couldn't help but be curious about how close she and her uncle were as well as how much she knew because of the relationship. He had always wondered about Swann's family as well as the reason that he was paralyzed in a wheelchair. Although these things didn't plague his curiosity as much as his own heritage, he still felt some empathy for Dr. Swann and wondered whether of not he was actually happy.

These things were still on his mind as Clark began to feel quite tired. He decided to go off the road into a nearby ditch and relax a while. Clark wondered why he felt exhausted because he had made the Metropolis-Smallville trip a million times before and never felt tired. He then figured that the there must be Kryptonite around somewhere. His best instincts told him not to get curious as to why there was Kryptonite all the way out here and walk until he reached a point where he wasn't exhausted.

As Clark came out of the ditch though, the full-fledged effects of his only weakness began to kick in. He collapsed onto the road and felt nausea and weakness. With all of his might, he tried to look around and see where the meteor rocks were, but all he saw was something coming toward him. The sun was bright in his eyes and he saw the shadowy figure of someone in baggy clothes walking toward him. He then felt a couple hands grab him from behind and slide him to the other side of the road. When there, his captor, who sounded like a young kid, whispered something into his ear, "I'm sorry My Lord, but according to my leader this was the only way this could happen."

Clark was confused at this. This voice sounded so familiar that Clark couldn't get over it. _My Lord? Who does this kid think I am? _ But before he could ask questions, everything went black.


	3. Jordan and the Cult

Clark awoke in a very dimly lit room with the walls painted black. He still felt weak, but not as dire as he felt before. His hands were tied but he still managed to prop himself up against a wall and get a good look at the room. It was empty but it wasn't long before a face peeked in from behind a door on another wall.

"He's awake," said the voice.

With that a myriad of people ranging from young teens to senior citizens came into the small room to get a look at Clark. They all seemed to be dressed casually, but still Clark felt something was up. They were all looking at him with oohs and aahs that made him feel like the pope being admired by Catholics. Clark stared with wide eyes at them wondering what the deal was. There was then a shout from the back.

"Leave him be. Leave him be already!" The voice sounded like a British accent and an assertive one at that. The people immediately began to clear out until there were only two people left, one of which Clark recognized.

"Greetings, sire." Said the British one who cleared the crowd. "My name is Brother Jordan, and this is Brother Mark. I suppose you know already, but he is the one who retrieved you."

They both then stepped directly under the dim light source and Clark got a clearer picture.

"You're the kid from the coffee shop the other day," Clark managed.

"You saw that?" the obviously nervous boy in black attire said.

"What happened at this coffee shop?" Jordan asked. Mark put his head down and twiddled his thumbs. "We'll talk about this later," he said as Mark left the room, looking ashamed of himself.

Now it was just Clark and Jordan, and Clark was curious who this person was and why he would want to kidnap him.

"I know you may be confused right now my lord, but soon everything will be revealed to you."

"What are you talking about?" Clark said. "What is this place?"

Jordan smiled. "This is the shrine, home to your followers."

"My FOLLOWERS!" Clark shouted with all his might. It was with that that he felt weak again and began to slump down.

"I hope you'll forgive me for the Kryptonite sire, but it was the only way we could get you to come here without resistance, considering you don't know who you are yet. Anyway, that little piece in your pocket is of a very low concentration, so it won't kill you, at least for a couple of months."

"How did you know about Kryptonite?" Clark struggled to say.

Jordan smiled once again. "I know everything about you Kal-el. All was revealed to me through great circumstances and ever since then I have been gathering followers and awaiting the day when you will destroy this planet and bring about a new utopia. The rest of the world shall perish, but only those of us who know the truth will be the ones who survive."

Clark couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What great circumstances would those be?"

"It was revealed to me in a grand revelation. A vision of all. A great epiphany, and some help from one Dr. Virgil Swann."

Clark started to hyperventilate. "How many other people has he told my secret to?" Clark thought to himself. "Geeze Dr. Swann I thought I could trust you."

"Now you must go through with your destiny. With our help, you will definitely conquer this world."

"Look, I don't know what you heard from Dr. Swann, but I'm not going to conquer this world. What makes you think I would help you anyway?"

"I have my ways." Jordan said manically. It was right then that something that sounded like a cell phone chirped from Jordan's pocket. He took the phone out and answered it while going into another room at the same time. Clark tried with all his might to use super-hearing, but he was too delirious to focus.

"Mr. Luther," Jordan said to the phone. "Glad you could finally call."

Lex Luthor was on the other side of the conversation in his vast mansion in Smallville. "I just wanted to tell you that I did what you asked me to. I just got the package from Cadmus labs today."

"Good. Thank you so much for your entire help sir, I promise I won't let you down."

"I don't condone cults Jordan, but the simplicity of this task and the promise to boot certainly intrigued me.

"Thank you again for the use of the basement in your fertilizer plant. It is the perfect place for my followers to meet."

"You mean Naman's followers," Lex laughed. "Anyway, Jordan, I still don't see why you wanted to mix two colors of meteor rock together. Melting red rock and black rock to make blood red doesn't seem like too much of a favor. It seems more like a Kindergarten coloring project."

"Believe me Mr. Luthor, you will see for yourself how useful that rock will become. If my theory is correct than this will lead to creating an all-powerful and controllable warrior."

Lex raised his eyebrows. "That's quite a theory, but I assume it has something to do with the so-called plethora of information you have on the caves and the origin of the language in them."

"You are a smart one Mr. Luthor. Here's what I want you to do. You bring me the rock here, and I'll tell you and even show you everything you would like to know about the caves."

"Sounds like a deal to me," Lex said as he hung up the phone and walked to his garage.

Chloe was walking out of the dorms to her car attempting to get the last of her suitcases into her trunk. It was then that her phone chirped. It was a number she had never seen before.

"Hello?" Chloe said sheepishly as she answered.

"Chloe Sullivan?" said a young female voice on the other side.

"Yeah, who is this?"

"I wanted to let you know not to worry about Clark. I am going to help him. Don't attempt to come save him because you can't, unless you want to be hurt. You don't want to be mixed up in these people's world."

"What are you talking about? What happened to Clark?"

Silence.

"Hello? Who are you!"

It was then that the phone hung up and Chloe was left confused. After a few minutes, she heard her phone ring again. She looked to see if it was the number again, but it was the Kents.

"Chloe," Martha Kent said in a concerned voice as soon as she answered. "Is Clark with you?"

"N-no," Chloe stuttered.

"He was supposed to be home a half an hour ago and he hasn't shown up. Do you have any idea where he might be?"

Chloe was silent for a few minutes and then said with urgency, "I'm coming to your house,"

"What!" Martha said. "It's a three-hour drive. Why would you want to do that?"

"Because I think that Clark's in trouble."


	4. A New Friend

Jordan was waiting in the lower room of the Luthorcorp fertilizer plant admiring the hot pipes steaming as they did when he saw Lex Luthor walking toward him. He smiled when he noticed that Lex was carrying a small parcel.

"Greetings Mr. Luthor," Jordan shouted right before he began to come toward Lex.

"Here is your rock, Jordan," Lex said rather impatiently as he gave the small cardboard box to him.

Jordan turned his back to Lex and hurriedly unwrapped the package. Once the card board was open he tore up the bubble wrap and revealed a blood-red stone small enough to hold in the cup of two hands. Jordan looked at it like it was the Ring of Mordor, and a huge smile curled up his face.

"Don't get your hopes up, Jordan," Lex said as he grabbed the stone away and put it in the leather bag he was carrying. "First, let me inspect my basement to see how you've been using my funds. And while you're at it, show me your creed and your knowledge of the caves."

Jordan looked at the bag like his life force was in it or something, and then he looked back up at Lex. "With pleasure." He said.

He and Lex slid behind one of the pipes and pushed open a door. After going through a long hallway, they came to another door. Upon entering, they came into a lounge, where a group of people were reclining on couches and eating several vegetable-based dishes. On the walls there were multiple pictures of the drawings on the cave wall as well as painted murals of cave encryptions as well as a few star frames.

"Let me tell you about our creed," Jordan said. "The cave walls were not written by the Kawatchi people, but by aliens." Lex put on a surprised face, even though he wasn't at all surprised. "They promised that they would send somebody from the stars to be our guide. Ever since I discovered the caves, the aliens have given me visions. They are from a planet called Krypton that was destroyed many years ago. They left all this technology on earth so that their "last son" could find it and use it to conquer earth. They told me that they would spare my life if I and some followers would help the last son conquer earth, and help him embrace his destiny."

"Alien visions huh?" Lex said with Jordan nodding. Lex laughed, "That is the biggest load of BS I've ever heard in my life."

"You don't believe me Lex?" Jordan said, still quite confident.

Lex then came close to Jordan's ear and whispered "I think you have something Jordan, but rather than you being a Joseph I think you're a brilliant linguist. I have a feeling that you deciphered the language and you're just starting the whole cult thing to feel better about yourself."

Jordan grinned and asked Lex if he'd like to see more.

"Like what?" Lex said, sounding outwardly skeptical. "Little green men?"

"Better. Remember the story of Naman?"

Lex nodded.

"What if I told you I…" Jordan stopped cold at the sight of his followers looking afraid of something. He looked toward the door and saw a girl standing there still as could be. Her hair was let down and she stare that could kill on her face.

"Ebony Swann?" Lex said as he turned around and saw her. "Hey, it's been a while."

"Bruce Wayne's last birthday party," Ebony replied. "I believe you were trying to entice me, a 14-year-old at the time, to take some tequila; you yourself drunk at the time. I believe you must be having a relapse now because I have no idea what other reason you would have for being down here."

Lex wanted to refute, but he noticed how the people in the room were backing away from Ebony as if she was frightening them. Even Jordan looked a little jumpy. Ebony then looked at one of the members."

"Hello Mark," said in monotone. Mark just looked down and stayed near the back of the detracting group.

"What's going on Jordan?" Ebony said as she briskly walked toward him.

"Hey, Ebony," Lex said stepping in her way. "I'd like to ask you the same…"

"Oh go to sleep Lex," an annoyed Ebony said as she swiped her hand in front of Lex's face and he fell to the ground asleep. The crowd let out a gasp as she approached Jordan.

"I did it, Ebony," a shaky Jordan said. "You're too late."

"I know you did it, why else would you have taken that boy." She then quickly revealed her previously hidden necklace, a circular wooden pendant, which warranted a larger gasp from the crowd and great fear from Jordan. He backed up against the wall and tried to avoid eye contact with the charm, but Ebony pinned him.

"Jordan, Uncle Virgil told you messing with Kryptonite was dangerous, but you didn't listen." Jordan shut his eyes as tightly as he could and squirmed around. "Where is it?"

"I'm not telling you where the stone is," Jordan said through clenched teeth.

"That's ok, I'll find it. I'm not going to let you do this to Clark!"

"His name isn't Clark!"

"Speaking of CLARK, where is he!"

Jordan seemed reluctant to tell Ebony, but it seemed that he would do anything to get her away from him. He motioned his arm toward the respective door, which prompted Ebony to run there and kick it down. She found Clark lying on the ground, looking very sick. She ran toward him and felt his pockets until she found the small piece of Kryptonite and threw it out of the room. Clark immediately looked better and lifted himself until he was sitting up. He then got a good look at his savior.

"It's you," Clark said.

"No time for that now. We have to get you out of here."

Clark then proceeded to break the ropes off his arms, but when he did, he was flung upward somehow. He then hit the ceiling and then fell back to the ground, leaving a nasty dent in the concrete ground.

"What was that?" Ebony asked, a little shocked.

"I don't know," Clark said as he attempted to get his bearings. He was asking himself if he actually did that, even though he didn't attempt to jump. Clark then wanted to ask Ebony what she was doing there when he saw Jordan at the door with his eyes squeezed shut and a pistol pointed at Ebony.

"Look out!" Clark shouted as the pistol went off. Clark was still woozy from the long exposure to Kryptonite and he couldn't react fast enough to protect the girl. The bullet hit him in the arm, but Ebony was bleeding out of her lower arm. She screamed in pain and Clark picked her up to get her off her feet. He then used his heat vision on the gun causing Jordan to scream in pain of his own and collapse to the ground clutching his hand. This prompted his frightened brood in the lobby to run out the back door of the shrine. All except for Mark, who hid behind a couch.

"We have to get you to a hospital," Clark shouted. To Ebony as he was holding her.

"No," Ebony managed to say. "No hospital. They can't… We have to…"

"Then let me at least take you to my farm." Before he could let Ebony answer, he sped out of the room through the lounge and out of the plant.

Jonathan and Martha Kent walked together out of the farmhouse as they saw Chloe's car pull up next to their barn.

"Hey Chloe," the obviously concerned Kents said as they met her on the front lawn. Chloe seconded their greeting.

"What made you think that Clark was in trouble?" Martha asked.

"Some girl called me and told me not to go find Clark because I couldn't save him or something like that. Right after that, you guys called and told me you couldn't find Clark. "

"Who couldn't find me?"

Startled, Chloe whipped around and saw Clark, holding the limp body of a girl in his arms.

"Oh my goodness," Martha shouted. "Clark we were so worried. What happened? And who is that?"

"Ebony Swann," Chloe said, to the slight surprise of Clark.

"Ebony SWANN?" Jonathan said. "As in Virgil Swann?"

"No time for questions dad." Clark said as he headed toward the house. "She has a wound in her arm we have to get it patched up."

"Why didn't you take her to a hospital?" Martha asked.

"She told me not to, and for some reason I decided to listen."

Both the Kents and Chloe were confused at this, but they followed Clark into the house to tend to the injured girl.

Lex Luthor woke up rubbing his aching head. He immediately jumped to his feet after he realized where he was and began to look around. The formerly bustling lobby was completely empty with the look that resembled the aftermath of a tornado. Lex then looked down and realized something, his leather bag was missing. Lex was about to utter a curse word when he heard shuffling behind one the couches. Lex took a peek behind it and found a frightened Mark cowering.

Lex smiled and said, "Hello. Mark, right?"

Mark nodded. "How did you know?"

"That's what Ebony called you."

Mark hung his head.

"You know, maybe you could help me find that leather bag that was stolen,"

Mark sat silent. Lex continued to persist.

"You know, I know your leader stole my bag for that rock I was holding for him. You have to ask yourself how smart he is if he went through the trouble stealing the whole bag rather than just taking out the rock."

Mark stayed silent.

"Plus, he can't be smart if he treats you like dirt when you seem like such a smart and strong kid."

Mark began to soften up. "You think so?"

"Yeah, in fact I'm pretty sure that you know everything about this place don't you?"

Mark was beginning to get the catch, but rather than prolonging Lex's trickery, he just decided to give in. "What do you want to know?"

"Just a couple simple things. What does Jordan know? And why you are so scared of Ebony?"


	5. A Prayer for Ebony Swann

Ebony was wincing as Martha Kent bandaged up the wound that was giving her so much pain.

"You're lucky that the bullet didn't pierce you," Martha said.

"I don't believe in luck," Ebony said as she continued to wince from the pain.

Jonathan and Clark, along with Chloe, were waiting outside in the living room for Martha to finish her surgery. In the meantime Clark told them of the past day, including the cult and Ebony's true identity.

"So you're saying that this cult knows who you are?" a concerned Jonathan asked.

"Yeah," Clark said sheepishly. "I don't know how this Jordan found out, but I think it has something to do with Dr. Swann."

Jonathan leaned back in his chair. "Why am I not surprised? In the past day the number of people we know of that Swann has told about your secret has doubled. Who knows who else knows?"

"Now Mr. Kent," Chloe said. "We shouldn't jump to conclusions. Look at all Swann did for Clark."

"Yeah, probably to study him,"

"My uncle never wanted to exploit Clark, Mr. Kent!" Ebony walked into the living room holding her bandaged arm with Martha by her side. "All Uncle Virgil wanted to do was help your son. Unfortunately he thought he was a failure because of what Clark did in Metropolis."

Clark looked a little guilty for a second, and Ebony felt that she said the wrong thing. She went over and touched his shoulder. "I would have done the same thing if some weird force was telling me that I had no choice but to take over the world. That's what I told him. I think it helped."

Clark looked up into her kind eyes and saw some hope in them, hope that was absent from Jordan's.

Chloe decided to interrupt the staring contest. "So, Ebony, why was that weird cult so scared of you. Are you at war or something? Do you have a cult too?"

"She doesn't," Clark said automatically.

"I can defend myself Clark," Ebony said as she looked at Chloe and sighed. "Yes, you could say we're at war. No I am not a member of a cult, and it's none of your business why they're scared of me."

Chloe wasn't satisfied, but she decided to back off. Ebony saved Clark's life and she wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt.

Jonathan, however, was a little more suspicious. "What's with the secrecy? How do we know you're not lying to us? What if you just want to expose Clark like everybody else?"

"Jonathan, please!" Martha said.

"Its okay Mrs. Kent," Ebony said. "I understand why you wouldn't trust me Jonathan. You want to protect your son at all costs. That's what I'm trying to do, too. What I am trying to do with that cult should not be Clark's problem. It is not his place to meddle in this kind of warfare. I just don't want you to get too involved for that reason."

"But this cult involves me," Clark said. "They think I'm a god. They want to use me for taking over the world! I already am involved."

"And that's all the involvement you can get into," Ebony replied. She then sighed and said, "Clark, you were not meant to fight people like this. The thing is, though, that they are after you and they will not give up until they get you. That is what you have to fight, and leave the rest to me."

"Why?" Clark asked.

"First, tell us something Miss Swann," Jonathan said. "Did Dr. Swann tell anybody else Clark's secret before his death?"

"The only people he's told are me and Bridget Crosby,"

"Then explain Jordan," Chloe interjected.

Ebony took a seat on one of the couches. "If I tell you the whole story, will you get off my back?"

The whole group nodded.

"Sit down Mark," Lex said to the boy as he sat on the large chair in Lex's office.

A shaky Mark did so.

"So, I heard that Jordan used to be a subsidiary of Dr. Virgil Swann, correct?"

Mark slowly nodded. Even though he agreed to tell Lex everything he knew, he still felt like a traitor. It definitely wasn't a new feeling for him.

"So tell me," Lex continued. "Did he learn about the caves from him?"

"Stop the questions, Lex," Mark said. "You're making me nervous."

"Okay," Lex said. "Why don't we just have a free association session and you tell me everything about why young Ebony Swann is such a scary person to you."

"I don't know," Mark lied.

Lex began walking around the room. "I heard that when her uncle died, Ebony didn't just inherit money from him. She got an artifact from ancient Rome that Dr. Swann had been keeping. Do you know what the stories say about that artifact?"

A nervous Mark shook his head.

"It's a circular necklace with a cross in the middle. It's made of wood no less, and yet it has remained in perfect condition for nineteen-hundred years. There are also rumors that its holders have been known to do some pretty amazing things."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Mark said.

Lex knew he was lying, but he decided that he could wait for the good stuff until Mark became a better houseguest. "Fine. For now, we'll just talk about Jordan."


End file.
